Vaccination debate: Warning over no-vax playgroup advertised in Perth

Vaccination debate: Warning over no-vax playgroup advertised in Perth

Updated 19 May 2017, 19:20 AEST

Rebecca Trigger

WA's peak medical body warns parents considering joining a no-vaccination playgroup advertised on social media that the consequences of a disease outbreak could be severe for their kids and the community.

Western Australia's peak medical body has warned parents considering joining a no-vaccination playgroup advertised on social media that the consequences of a disease outbreak could be severe for their kids and the community.

A Facebook post, which was shared to a closed community site, asked parents interested in joining to get in touch.

"We have one location so far, but I'm hoping to have free playgroups going all across Perth every day of the week eventually," the poster, pictured with two children, wrote.

"Please, no nasty comments from those whose beliefs differ from my own. Let's all respect that we each have the right to make decisions for our own families regarding their health and welbeing (sic)."

WA Australian Medical Association president Dr Andrew Miller said unvaccinated children who were taken to the group would be at risk, as would the wider community.

"That's a bit like getting all the dry grass together in one spot and throwing a match in it," he said.

"If there was an exposure to, for example, measles, then it would spread very rapidly through a large group of children.

"These children could well become very sick, and some of them could die as a result."

He said people in the community including infants and those who are sick, such as cancer patients, would be vulnerable to diseases if they came into contact with the children.

The ABC was unable to contact the person behind the anti-vaccination playgroup advertisement.

It comes as the WA Health Department calls on parents to make sure their children are up to date with vaccines, and anti-vaxxers get set to show a controversial movie in Perth claiming current vaccines are not safe.

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